Pages

2011-06-16

FOLLOW-UP: Poll: Should I Switch away from Linux Mint?

So yesterday, I wrote a post asking if I should switch away from Linux Mint to a different distribution. Many comments suggested that I stay with Linux Mint, but upgrade to the newest version. A few others suggested Pinguy OS or Ultimate Edition. Still others suggested...Slackware, of all things.

As I read the comments and thought about this more, I realized that I was just irrationally itching for something new. Aside from the minor Compiz and AV by AIM issues, there is absolutely nothing wrong with my current OS, and I'm going to use it either until Linux Mint 13 LTS "M[...]a" comes out or (if Linux Mint moves away from Ubuntu before that happens) until its support runs out, at which point I would probably switch to Debian-based Linux Mint. This is of course assuming either version of Linux Mint is as good as or better than my current one on my computer, but given that it's Linux Mint, I have no doubts about that. So thank you all for your suggestions. I'm doing what most people suggested: I'm sticking with what works.

The new Unity Desktop is totally unacceptable, and Ubuntu 11.04 running the Gnome classic Desktop is quite a disappointment compared to Ubuntu 10.10 so I'm seriously looking for another distribution as it appears Ubuntu is becoming less reliable with each upgrade. The main attraction to Ubuntu has always been the Gnome Desktop and Synaptic package manager, but the continuing unsolved bugs, and now frequent crashes of applications is giving me cause to look at other distributions.

How is Linux Mint? I was on a bit of a distro walk a few months ago when I decided to get off the windows ship, but I stopped at Fedora. Didn't really do a lot of Debian based stuff- one of my friends is a Gentoo die hard. Still, there has to be a reason Deb is so popular...

@Anonymous, pikeminnow: If you're looking for something that's still Ubuntu-based (or even not), I could certainly recommend Linux Mint, because it has a fairly standard GNOME desktop but with some of its own tweaks that help many people (including myself) get stuff done without getting in the way. Linux Mint does have both Debian- and Ubuntu-based GNOME editions; the former is rolling-release based on Debian Testing, while the latter follows the traditional Ubuntu fixed releases. I can similarly recommend Pinguy OS and Elementary OS, both of which have stable implementations of GNOME 2.X but use the latest Ubuntu repositories, et cetera. If you're looking away from Ubuntu, I can also recommend Fuduntu, which is like Linux Mint on Fedora, openSUSE (though I personally tested only the KDE edition), and Pardus (OK, that doesn't have GNOME, but its implementation of KDE is simply superb). I hope that helps. Thanks for the comments!

I guess there's two recommendations to make. Either users don't have a clue and are unwilling to learn the ins and outs of their systems, and then I'd recommend to stick with the Ubuntu LTS series, although right now Ubuntu seems to go down a path where "the better is the enemy of the good", as a local saying goes. So far, 10.04 performs quite well on servers as on desktops.

I recommended Slackware ("of all things", as you sneered), because in terms of stability and quality of its componentes there's just nothing better around. No, Slackware doesn't hold your hand and expects you to know your UNIX fundamentals. But then, you get a distribution that's around since 1993, and that's as clean under the hood as any of the BSD's.

When you install Linux boxes every day for professional clients, you don't want them to phone you on Sunday morning because "something isn't working". Then you start looking for the distributions that never fail you.

My desktop - which functions as a server throughout the house - has been running 10.04 very smoothly since installation and, for the purposes I'm using it, it will continue to do so until 'end of life' (and maybe after).

I've tried quite a few distro's before and after Ubuntu, but the only one that I REALLY liked was Mint. Like some say, it really is 'Ubuntu done right'.To be honest, I rarely ever use Linux for work, because the places I work at continue to install M$ (at least on their desktops). At home I rarely ever touch Windows though.

To make a long story short. I have no doubt you made the right choice. I'm making the same one...

I totally understand your decision of staying with something that works, but I have to say I am really enjoying Katya. Maybe it's because they've decided not to go down the Unity road and that's given the developers the chance to put more time and effort into getting Mint even slicker or maybe it's just me, but in my opinion you wouldn't be disappointed giving Katya a try cause it runs like a charm and I have not a single issue, be that compiz or whatever.yargs

@Microlinux: Let me clarify. I wasn't sneering ("Slackware, of all things"); I was saying it to indicate that I won't be using it anytime soon, because I'm not experienced enough with the core UNIX tools as evidenced by my review of Slackware 13.1, so I think it's pretty clear that Slackware isn't for me (or I'm not for Slackware). But I fully understand and appreciate that when stability is paramount, you can't go wrong with Slackware.@Soak: How did you downgrade? If Linux Mint continues to have Compiz troubles in future releases and I need to upgrade, I may need to do that.@Anonymous: I have reviewed that release here, so please do read it and leave a comment. In short, I say that because of the Compiz and other minor aesthetic issues (which Linux Mint is supposed to be renowned for), there's isn't any good reason for me to recommend it over version 10 "Julia".Thanks for the comments!

I have been using Ubuntu for a while and am pretty satisfied with it, especially 10.4 LTS. Lately after several updates it seems like it takes a very long time to connect to the Internet (internal connections are good). I wonder if something has fiddled with the DNS aspects of the program. Has anyone had similar problems. by the way, the installation "live disk" works just fine! I have tried going to VAR/Run/Network/if state as sudo and it rejects. Interesting!

@Anonymous: I'm sorry that I can't help you with your issue, but I have a feeling a few of the more regular commenters here could help you out. Anyway, it's good that you've otherwise been having success with Ubuntu. Thanks for the comment!

@Soak: That's interesting, because I didn't notice any change in performance one way or the other from version 10 "Julia" to version 11 "Katya". Also, I appreciate the link, and I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the comment!

You know, I've been a fan of Mint since...well, almost the beginning. However, within The HeliOS Project we are using the 10.04 LTS release of Ubuntu simply for the fact that a tool called UCK (ubuntu customization kit) makes it so easy to remaster Ubuntu into the distro we need for our kids.

Trust me...we've tried all the remaster tools that would or should work for Mint but after fighting error after error, we simply gave up. If it were just me trying to make this work, I wouldn't mind so much but we enjoy the company of dozens of volunteers who can use UCK on the fly to create a specialized distro, for say an autistic child. Mint just hasn't the tools or the third-party tools to make it as simple as UCK.

I personally have two distros I use on my personal computer. The latest Mint and Pinguy...both meet my needs nicely. I like the direction Pinguy is going but I also appreciate the "Ubuntu done right" efforts of Mint.

Our new HeliOS classroom sports even amounts of Mint and 10.04 and we've unified the desktops so you really can't tell the difference between the two until you dig deeper into the system.

Mint however has always had my personal vote and loyalty simply because of the extra effort that is obviously put into it.